Brave Heart Wall Hanging - Create Mixed Mediad3pgt5ahe89h4u.cloudfront.net/.../2010/12/BraveHeartProject.pdfBrave Heart Wall Hanging Ruth Rae describes her Brave Heart wall hanging
Post on 06-Apr-2018
220 Views
Preview:
Transcript
Brave Heart Wall Hanging
Ruth Rae describes her Brave Heart wall hanging as a virtual fabric journey. “Layers upon layers of both seen and unseen beauty dance with one another in
this fabric piece,” she says. Irresistible, no?
Along this journey with Ruth Rae, author of Layered, Tattered & Stitched, you’ll sew, stitch, metal stamp and embroider. But you’ll also learn a whole host of other unique techniques—like bleaching, burning and bead wrapping—that will enable you to set your work apart from the rest.
To learn more about or purchase Layered, Tattered &Stitched by Ruth Rae, click here.
www.CreateMixedMedia.com
Layered, Tattered & Stitched is published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc.
Z2783 pgs 088-101.indd 98Z2783 pgs 088-101.indd 98 7/29/09 3:17:16 PM7/29/09 3:17:16 PM
(From Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rae, 2009; Courtesy of CreateMixedMedia.com)
The poetry of E. E. Cummings speaks to me. I adore his
unmistakable style and lines that oftentimes deal with
themes of love and nature. I wrapped this interactive
hanging heart around his poem, “i carry your heart with
me.” I envisioned Cummings’ words in every aspect of the
design. As I created this piece, it became a virtual fabric
journey. Layers upon layers of both seen and unseen
beauty dance with one another in this fabric piece. This
is my ode to E.E. Cummings.
I label my tortured hearts as “Brave.” Our hearts are,
figuratively and literally, our life lines. We feel them
breaking when we are let down and filled with joy when
something extraordinary occurs. The heart form is a
constant in my art.
“brave heart” Wall Hanginggather thisto begin
Beads (assorted)
Bleach pen (Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel or liquid bleach)
Book text or handwritten journal page
Bookbinder’s awl
Dowel (½" [13mm] diameter)
Fabric: felt in black and red (Kunin craft felt only; no wool); cotton jacquard; muslin; polyester organza; tulle
Fiberfill
Heat gun
Ink: StazOn® or fabric ink
Leather punch
Letter punch set and hammer (optional)
Metal sheet (24-gauge, any kind) for heart charm
Metal tray, cookie sheet or other heat-resistant surface
Needle (embroidery)
Quilting machine needle, size 14/90
Quilting machine thread
Pearl cotton #5 (or embroidery floss)
Pen: LePen™ by Marvy® or fabric pen
Pinking shears (optional)
Pins
Pliers (round nose, chain nose)
Ribbon (I used vintage seam binding)
Rubber stamps
Scissors
Seam ripper
Sewing machine
Spoon (metal)
Tea light candle
Tin snips
Vinyl (clear)
Wire (16-gauge [I used annealed steel]and 24-gauge) and cutters
Z2783 pgs 088-101.indd 99Z2783 pgs 088-101.indd 99 7/29/09 3:17:35 PM7/29/09 3:17:35 PM
(From Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rae, 2009; Courtesy of CreateMixedMedia.com)
3» Cut 3 random holes through 1 of the
red heart pieces. Singe the holes over a
tea light candle to open them up (blow
the flame out before it gets too big). Cut a
small wedge out of the heart's center, using
pinking shears to create jagged edges.
2» Cut 2 pieces of red craft felt to a heart
shape that is slightly smaller than the large
black heart. Add decorative machine stitch-
ing with black thread to each piece. (I prefer
to stitch a line around the perimeter of the
shape first, then fill the space in with zig-
zag lines.)
workingwith bleach
Bleaching may be the easiest surface-altering technique
that I use. Ordinary household bleach is effective on
such natural fibers as cotton, linen, rayon, broadcloth,
denim, piqué, gauze, velveteen, corduroy and jacquard.
If the fabric contains polyester, which is usually color-
fast, the color may not discharge.
You can also brush or drip the fabric with bleach.
A bleach pen will yield a more controlled look, and
patterning is easier to achieve. Removing the top layers
of dye will reveal an array of colors. Commercial fabrics
are dyed in multiple applications with a broad variety
of under colors, so results will be different each time
you employ this method.
1» Cut a large black felt heart to the
size you desire, then cut a second, smaller
heart. Apply a bleach pen to both black
hearts (or use regular bleach in a bowl,
diluted with water).
When you are satisfied with the bleaching
effects, rinse the hearts thoroughly in warm
water.
Z2783 pgs 088-101.indd 100Z2783 pgs 088-101.indd 100 7/29/09 3:17:43 PM7/29/09 3:17:43 PM
(From Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rae, 2009; Courtesy of CreateMixedMedia.com)
7» Use a ¼" (6mm) leather punch to make 5
holes down each side of the wedge on the front of
the heart. Working from the top down, insert both
ends of a length of black ribbon or strip of fabric
through the 2 top holes from front to back; adjust
to make sure both halves of the ribbon are equal.
Continue to lace the wedge from front to back.
Do not pull the ribbon too taut; the gap at the top
of the wedge should remain visible. At the bottom,
tie the ribbon into a bow.
4» For each hole, cut a
few small scraps of a vari-
ety of fabrics, layer them
together and sew each
stack of layers to the front
of the heart over a hole,
stitching around each one.
8» Place the larger of the 2 bleached black
hearts under the red heart with the holes.
Position a scrap of clear vinyl under each of
the holes, sandwiched between the red and
black hearts. Pin each piece of vinyl in place
on the black heart.
the effectsof burning
A few years ago I started burning
felt to achieve a distressed effect.
I suggest that you experiment
a bit with burning, as it takes
some time to discover the
various effects you can produce
from this form of fabric
manipulation.
6» Use a heat gun to
burn the edges of the
layered fabrics a bit. The
organza shrinks up quickly.
5» Use a seam ripper to
open the center of the holes
and use scissors to remove
some of the fabric. Also use
scissors to snip the layers
to make them ruffle a bit
around each hole.
Z2783 pgs 088-101.indd 101Z2783 pgs 088-101.indd 101 7/29/09 3:17:51 PM7/29/09 3:17:51 PM
(From Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rae, 2009; Courtesy of CreateMixedMedia.com)
11» Create a stuffed muslin insert for
the red heart. Cut out 2 muslin hearts that
are about 1" (3cm) smaller all around than
the finished red heart. Stamp over the
surface of each muslin heart with a text
or background stamp.
Cut a small piece of coffee-stained
muslin for a pocket and stamp a heart in
the center of it. Sew it to 1 of the muslin
hearts along 3 sides. Sew the 2 muslin
hearts together, leaving about a 3" (8cm)
opening. Stuff the heart with fiberfill,
then sew it closed.
To make an enclosure for the pocket,
create a small strand of wire-wrapped
beads. Rosary-wrap the first bead and
repeat for as many beads as you like,
linking them as you go.
10» Cut 2 tulle hearts and 1 organza
heart about 1½" (4cm) larger all around
than the red hearts. Sew the smaller
bleached heart onto the front of the
second red heart. Make a sandwich with
the red hearts on the outside and the
tulle and organza hearts in the middle.
Pin everything together.
To secure the layers, sew around the
perimeter of the heart, leaving the top
of the heart open. Use scissors to snip
through the tulle/organza about every
1½" (4cm) around the heart. Burn the
layers a bit with the heat gun.
9» Sew 3 sides of each piece of vinyl
to create pockets, which are sewn to the
black heart but show through the holes
in the red heart. Decide what you want
to show inside each of the holes. Here,
I have used some found text, tiny pearls
and a heart crystal.
Stuff your selected items into the
pockets. Sew the fourth side of each
pocket closed.
Z2783 pgs 102-115.indd 102Z2783 pgs 102-115.indd 102 7/29/09 3:18:12 PM7/29/09 3:18:12 PM
(From Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rae, 2009; Courtesy of CreateMixedMedia.com)
15» With scissors, cut the loops of the bundle
opposite the knot. Trim the ends of the strands to
clean them up and make them even in length.
Attach the completed tassle to 1 end of the
strand of rosary-wrapped beads.
12» Cut three 1-yard
(1m) strands of pearl
cotton or embroidery floss.
(Mix different colors,
if you like.) Wrap them as
a group around a card
1½" (4cm) wide.
16» For the other end of the bead strand,
create a charm from a piece of 24-gauge
metal sheet. Use tin snips to cut a heart
shape. If you wish, use letter stamps to spell
out a message on the heart.
how to rosary-wrap a bead
Begin with a 3" (8cm) length of 24-gauge
wire. Using round nose pliers, make a
loop about 1" (3cm) from one end of the
wire. Wrap the tail of the wire around the
base of the loop. Thread on a bead, then
create a loop in the wire at the other end
of the bead and wrap the tail of the wire
around that loop.
To link, insert the unlooped wire of
a bead through the finished loop of a
second bead. Make a loop on the wire
of the first bead and wrap the tail of the
wire around the base of the loop.
14» Wrap a 2" (5cm)
length of pearl cotton or
floss around the top of the
bundle about ¼" (6mm)
from the top. Tie a snug
knot to secure it.
13» Carefully remove
the wrapped bundle from
the card.
Z2783 pgs 102-115.indd 103Z2783 pgs 102-115.indd 103 7/29/09 3:18:25 PM7/29/09 3:18:25 PM
(From Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rae, 2009; Courtesy of CreateMixedMedia.com)
17» To create a small fabric book,
rip coffee-stained muslin into four 2½"
× 7" (6cm × 18cm) pieces. Layer scraps
of organza and tulle between the first
2 pieces of muslin. Sew down the cen-
ter (spine) of the muslin page spread
to secure the layers.
19» Repeat for the other spread. Sew
the 2 spreads together down the spine.
If you like, you can singe the tulle around
the edges a bit.
Now you're ready to decorate your
pages. I like to use a combination of
embroidery stitches and journaling
with a Marvy® LePen™ .
18» Next, sew around the
perimeter of each page on each
side of the spread.
20» French knots are a fun element
to add. To make one, start with a
double strand of embroidery floss.
Wrap the floss around your needle
about 5 times.
Z2783 pgs 102-115.indd 104Z2783 pgs 102-115.indd 104 7/29/09 3:18:38 PM7/29/09 3:18:38 PM
(From Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rae, 2009; Courtesy of CreateMixedMedia.com)
21» Push the needle back through
the fabric near where the thread
came out of the fabric, pulling the
floss through the wrapped portion
on the needle. (Be sure not to sew
through the muslin page on the
other side; try to begin and end your
stitch between layers.)
23» Cut a 1-yard (91cm) length
of 16-gauge steel wire. Leaving a
3" (8cm) tail, wrap the wire around
a ½" (13mm) dowel until 3" (8cm)
remain at the other end.
22» After your pages are decorated
the way you want, attach the book
to the center of the small black heart
by hand stitching down the center of
the book.
24» Ease the coil off the dowel
and stretch it out a bit. Use a
leather punch to make holes on
either side of the red heart
positioned about ½" (13mm) from
the edge near where the heart's
opposite sides meet.
Create an eye at 1 end of the
wire with round nose pliers. Thread
the wire through 1 hole in the
heart, then wrap the excess around
the base of the loop. Repeat for the
wire's other end and the other hole.
Z2783 pgs 102-115.indd 105Z2783 pgs 102-115.indd 105 7/29/09 3:18:48 PM7/29/09 3:18:48 PM
(From Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rae, 2009; Courtesy of CreateMixedMedia.com)
top related